January Gardening in NE Texas

Tomorrow starts a whole new year of gardening!  I know January and February are the cold months, but we can’t state too often that there is still plenty to do outside to help prepare for the coming year.  January is one of the best months to plant bare-root fruit trees or berry vines.  It is also when you should consider doing your major pruning.  If your flower garden is anything like mine, you’ll notice that this year has seen such a mild winter that the rose bushes are still green and leafy.  I plan on waiting a few more weeks before I attack them with the pruning shears, but other ornamental trees and shrubs are getting chopped!  Tulip and Daffodil bulbs can be separated/planted in January and asparagus and many other cold weather vegetables can be planted as well.  Take advantage of the beautiful weather and get the work done now.  It may be much colder soon!

Here is a more complete list of some January gardening chores and a link to a guide that shows what fruits grows best in our area of Texas.

http://www.plantanswers.com/garden_calendar/jan.htm

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension/fruitgarden/geographic.html

Happy New Year and Happy Winter Gardening!

Dusting Houseplants

As if there wasn't already enough to do around the house, I'm going to add another thing to the list. Don't forget to dust your houseplants! It's important for both their health and their beauty to keep the leaves clean. Here is a good article that talks about the importance of the task, how to dust the leaves of various types of plants, and then mentions few other plant maintenance issues not to be overlooked.

http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/indoor/grooming-and-care-tip-for-houseplants.htm

Happy Dusting!

Link - Making Your Own Cosmetics

Here's another good reason to grow beets:  You can use them to make homemade, toxin free cosmetics!  Click here for a recipe that uses beets to make a natural lip stain.  Don't skip the comments!  There are some great suggestions on color alternatives.

http://blog.ecoetsy.com/2011/07/eco-tutorial-blush-flush-natural-cheek-lip-stain/html

Propagating Christmas Plants

I love decorating the house with Christmas plants this time of year.  We can generally keep a Christmas cactus alive for a couple of years, and it usually even blooms right on time for us (the one in the picture was recently purchased without blossoms).   After a couple of years though, the plant seems to lose it’s will to live and gives up.  Guess life around here can be challenging.   Poinsettias are another plant I love to have around at Christmas time.  I have successfully kept them alive year after year, but have never gotten them to bloom the next year.  The stores love me because I keep going back each year to purchase more plants.

No more.  This year is the last year I should ever need to purchase another Christmas cactus or poinsettia because this year, we are going to propagate new ones from our existing plants and get them to bloom.  How’s that for confidence? 

There are some great articles out there so I won’t retype all the information.  I’ll provide the link and let you view the details for yourself.  I put the kids to work on some special pots for the Christmas cactus and we’ll get to the poinsettia this spring, when the time is just right.

Christmas Cactus

http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/indoor/how-to-propagate-and-plant-christmas-cactus.htm

http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/azgard/2003044719003313.html

Poinsettia

http://aces.nmsu.edu/ces/yard/2008/011208.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_2082845_propagate-poinsettia.html

I will make a note here that we did a bit of an experiment.  No article I read said anything about using root stimulator on the cactus, but since I had some here, I made two pots using it and two pots without.  I’ve made a note as to which are in each pot and will monitor progress to see if it is a good idea or not.  Why not turn this into a fun science experiment for the kids?

Here is a picture of the fancy pots and lucky little plants in them.  If you followed the above links, you probably know by now that the leaves will wilt or even shrivel.  I have warned the kids not to panic, as this is expected.  The new leaves will grow out of the end of the dead ones when rooting has occurred.  I have noticed this same thing happens very often when propagating prickly pears. 

I’m sure the local nurseries are rooting against my success in this little project, but hopefully we’ll have a house full of home grown happy plants by next Christmas that we can enjoy and share with friends!

More on Growing Herbs Indoors - Quick Tips

If you've been meaning to plant some herb pots to keep indoors, then choose larger, deep pots if space permits.  12" deep pots with a nice wide diameter are my favorite.  Avoid pots with a narrow diameter, as these will dry out quicker.  The increased amount of soil in deep pots allow for better moisture retention and give the roots more space to spread out in, so they're more forgiving of you forgetting to water them (I say when, not if).
If you only have a small space for plant pots, then remember that you can combine several herbs into one.  I've seen parsley, thyme, and basil sharing space happily in the same container.
Parsley, basil, and chia are pretty tough customers.  They make good starter plants for people who are new to growing herbs.  Yes, I said chia.  They're not just good for a laugh.  Chia is an easy-growing, super nutritious food source.  Use them just as you would sprouts:  as an additive to salads, sprinkled over burgers, baked potatoes, and anything else that you would top with sprouts.
Most of all, don't give up.  Even if you've killed lots of cute little herb pots in the past, don't believe that you can't do it.  Each failure brings us lessons that eventually lead to success.  Remember that you can always bring your questions here!

Growing Herbs in the Kitchen

Just because the cold weather has arrived doesn’t mean you have to give up fresh herbs. Growing many herbs year-round in the kitchen is easy and can add beauty to your kitchen as well as wonderful flavors to your food.

Most herbs can easily be started from seeds. Just place them is well drained soil like you would any other seed you were trying to sprout. Coming up with just the right pot can be a lot of fun too. I let the kids jazz up some clay pots. Having the kids decorate them for you not only gives them a creative outlet, but it can also get them interested in gardening. My kids love to see plants growing in pots they have painted for me. Keep the seeds in a window if possible, but keep them close enough that you don’t forget about them when you cook!

Basil, rosemary, thyme and parsley are only a few of the herbs you can grow in the kitchen, and some are ready to harvest in as little as six weeks. That means you could be using fresh grown herbs before the spring planting season begins. Many herbs will grow for years once started, and the flavor of fresh herbs just can’t be beat by the dried herbs you buy in the store. If you have a few extra minutes, give it a try!

Worm Composting

Marjory Wildcraft of Backyard Food Production brings us a video interview of how to build a worm composting bin.  Worm composting, or vermiposting, is a way to create compost on a fast track.  The worms tend to work quicker than a traditional compost pile, and they add their lovely castings (poop) to the mix, which plants adore.  You can create a worm bin on a small scale in a covered bucket under your sink, or on a larger scale as you see in the video.  The concept is exactly the same.  You'll simply vary the amount of worms that you add to your container based on its size, and monitor its moisture level to ensure the worms are in a "just right" environment.  There are a lot of ways to vermipost, and it doesn't have to be complicated.  If you've never tried it before, start by checking out this video, look up the mountain of information out there on worm composting, and always remember that you can post your questions here.  If we can't find an answer from our own experience, we'll find someone who can!